James m



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JMES M. MESCHUTT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SOFA-BEDSTEAD.

specification of Letters Patent No. 2,185, dated July 23, 1841.

To all 107mm may Gomera:

Be it known that I, J AMns M. MnsoHU'r'r, of the city, county, ancl State of New York, cabinetmaker, have invented and made and applied to use a new and Improved Mode of Constructing and Using Sofa-Bedsteads, for which I seek Letters Patent of the United States, and that the said mode is fully and substantially set forth and shown in the following description and in the drawings annexed to and making part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1, is a representation of a sofa bedstead with my improvements fitted thereto, shown as it appears in use, as a sofa, but without the cushions. Fig. 2, represents the same opened or transformed into a bedstead. Fig. 3, is an endwise section of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 a similar section of Fig. 2, and the same letters and numbers as marks of reference apply to the same parts in all the figures.

A, is the back upper rail of a common sofa of any usual fashion in the make; B, the arms, nearly as usually made. Under the rail A, and a little below the level of the arms B, is an auxiliary rail a, see Figs. l and 2, to which the back half sacking c, is laced. In the lower front of the sofa, the front rail Z), is set back, as shown by the dotted lines in the section Fig. 4, to give room for folding in the movable parts described hereafter.

The front pillars have under the arms a metal plate screwed in at l, with a knuckle piece projecting into, and forming a joint in the upper ends of the movable end pieces f, f, and secured therein, by a metal pin. rJhe movable parts f, f, are connected at the opposite end, to the stretcher piece g and these cellectively form a frame, to which the front half (Z, of the sacking is secured on one edge, the other edge lacing to the back half sacking c. 711811 closed, the sacking lies against the back and bottom of the sofa, and when open, presents a fiat surface, to form a bedstead.

Under the front stretcher piece g are two blocks 2, 2, of wood or metal, secured on as shown in Figs. 2, and 4, and in the detached Figs. 5 and 6, with a mortise open at one end, forming a box to receive the tops of the legs lz, h, which are secured in by a metal pin, and in the stretcher piece g a metal spring, seen in Fig. 6 which cannot conveniently be showh in the other drawhings, is housed above the tops of the legs,

and made to operate, an opening or shutting of the legs h h, preclsely 1n the manner of a knife oint, except that the backs of the blocks or boxes 2 prevent the legs lz, 72, opening beyond a right angle. In the middle of the movable stretcher piece g, a brace is hinged on beneath; this brace slides in or out, through a mortise in the front rail Z), the mortise is formed as shown in section at 0, in Fig. 4-, by dotted lines, with a hollow sunk within, but near the back of the rail Z), which hollow receives a fillet across the end of the brace on dra-Wing it o'ut, this forms a stop by which the brace z' will support the frame until the legs can be set up and a pin through the`inner end of the brace will prevent it from being` drawn entirely out of the mortise.

The mode of using this arrangement will be obvous to every workman. On lifting the movable stretcher g, the ends and sacking will rise with it, the brace will hold it, until the legs h, h, can be dropped from beneath the stretcher g, to a perpendicular position, when the sofa is ready to use as a bedstead. On reverting the whole, for use as a sofa, the legs 71-, h, will fold in, between the stretcher g, and the front rail Z), and the sacking drop into place. A. drawer may be made beneath the front rail b, if convenlent, but such a drawer is not shown in the drawing, as it does not come within my claim.

I am aware, that a patent has been granted for a sofa bed-stead, on the principle of the cot bedstead, in which a frame, hinged to the front of the sofa, is employed, and I do not therefore simply ela-im the employment of a frame, hinged to the front of the sofa; but

lVliat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The adaptation of an eXtra frame to the front of the common sofa, connected by the hinges 1, to the tops of the pillars e, and supported at the extremities by the legs h, h, in combination with the brace i, which slides through the front rail, and the extra frame and legs fold down against the pillars and front rail of the sofa, for the purposes and in the manner specified.

In witness whereof I the said JAMns M. MESGHUTT have hereunto set my hand in the city of New York this third day of June one thousand eight hundred and forty one in the presence of the witnesses subscribing hereto.

JAMES M. MESCHUTT.

lVitnesses:

VV. GERRELL, H. R. SCOVELL. 

